Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity

 

In Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity, author Karen Stern takes us on a journal of context.  We have many written records by elite Jews in the first decades of the common era, but we know very little if these accounts reflect the lives of Jews on the ground.

Stern examines graffiti in several locations in the eastern Mediterranean: from outside rock outcroppings along trade routes to the inside of synagogues, to marketplaces and sporting arenas.  She sees in these places the ubiquity of Jews in many contexts, even in a time of rising persecution from both pagans and Christians.

Stern’s careful analysis shows how well-integrated Jews were in their surroundings.  Jews had much in common with their Christian and Pagan neighbors, and their graffiti (and all three groups produced graffiti) if not for specific Jewish references, would be identical. 

This has been a refreshing trend in Jewish scholarship in recent years: instead of looking for factors whereby Jews are separated from their social environment, the areas of overlap are viewed as more salient, and a richer field of study.  This book certainly bears this out.  The graffiti examined in this important work was made by "ordinary" Jews, giving us a glimpse of their world outside the rabbinical lens.      

The Secret That Is Not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales

 

Jay Michaelson is an incredibly talented and versatile writer.  Last year, he won a Jewish Book Award for his scholarly work on Jacob Frank.  Now, we have a collection of short fiction, The Secret That Is Not a Secret: Ten Heretical Tales.  All of Michaelson’s books share common features, but there are also dissimilarities.  He is that kind of writer, always pushing his subject matter both toward his concerns and away from them.

This collection of short fiction does not disappoint.  Here we have ten stories, modeled after the ten emanations of God as depicted in the Kabbalah.  The Kabbalah has always flirted with, if not indulged in, heresy, and Michaelson’s tales allow this flirtation and indulgence to become a full-fledged sexual romance. 

You can read this collection knowing close to nothing about Kabbalah.  Just revel in the mystery and richness of Michaelson’s prose.  If you know some, you will know more after reading.  If you are an accomplished Kabbalist, you will see old sources poured into new vessels to great effect in this extraordinary collection of stories. 

Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash

 

Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash by Tamar Biala (Editor) and Tamar Kadari is an interesting and often unexpected dive into Torah from the 50% of Jews largely excluded from study – women.  This collection is from Israeli women and no doubt the original Hebrew was an amazing excursion into Israeli Hebrew being used to cast and recast Hebrew stories of different ages and stages.  The translators give us a flavor of the word play involved – wordplay which is key to midrash in all its forms.  This is a wonderful, enriching collection of Torah works.